La Basilica di Santa Anastasia, Verona

Plan Your Trip Ltd

All object (0)

See objects on map (0)

The largest and probably the most picturesque church in the city, Sant’Anastasia is close to Ponte Pietra (the Pietra Bridge). The Basilica dates back to the 13th-century, and the exterior and interior decorations of brick and marble combination make it a remarkable example of Italian Gothic.

The history of the place began even earlier than the 13-th century. During the Lombard period, (568–569) a small church dedicated to the Virgin Anastasia stood in the same place. Around 1290, when Verona was ruled by the prosperous Della Scala family the Dominican Order started the construction of the Gothic Basilica.

The Basilica includes several elements distinctive to Gothic architecture: the facade is divided into two narrow side aisles which are supported by 12 pillars made of red Veronese marble, a rose window above the entrance, and pointed arches. The doors of the 15th-century kept the Gothic structure of the 14th-century pass.

Inside the Basilica, don’t miss the sculptures of Hunchbacks and the fresco painted by Pisanello. The statues of Hunchbacks are under the first aisle of the columns. The legend has it that they reflect the effort made by the citizenq to pay for the construction of the church and that touching their humps brings luck. Also worth noting is the famous fresco “Saint George and the Princess” reproduced in the middle of the 15th-century by Pisanello, one of the most prominent painters of the early Italian Renaissance, on an outside wall, above the arch of the Pellegrini chapel. The work is one of the most noteworthy exmaples of international Gothic paintings.

On the right side of the church you will see one of the most beautiful monuments of the city, the tomb of Gugliemo da Castelbarco, the friend of the Della Scala family and the contributor to the building of the Basilica.